Second, all this confusion about whether some or all humans are born evil or good can be really confusing, but it shouldn't be. Some, liberals in particular, believe people are "basically good." And too many conservatives misinterpret scripture and quickly adopt a reactionary view, that "original sin" means people are born evil. But the scriptures teaches "know" both.
More to the point, we are born "knowing good and evil," and, deny it though we will, we are therefore responsible, whether we choose to acknowledge or try to escape this awesome responsibility.
When a cat tortures a mouse to death we rightly assume the cat is probably just doing his natural born thing. But when people do the same thing we consider that person a criminal or psychotic, and we rightly say they are responsible for evil. The knowledge and the perception of good and evil do not make us good or evil, only responsible for how we choose to act.
Disagree with the bible then, if you must. From the Old Testament, “God created man upright, but men have gone after many schemes.” And from the New Testament, “We sinned in Adam.”
Understanding that this is our common position is key to understanding the need for the redemption from God, not just a “nice life on earth.”
“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?”
Jeremiah 17:9
No doubt about it.